Portable washing machine



E. F. HAY

PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE March 8 1955 Filed June 13, 1951 -lilllmum J Edwin E Hay INVENTOR.

Fly. 5 a4 6 a w 0 a u. HH MM H W w m 1 ZHHW March 8, 1955 E. F. HAY 2,703,434

PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE Filed June 13, 1951 2 Sheefis-Sheet 2 Fig 3 I0 34 20 Edwin F. Hay

I N VEN TOR.

BY (Wm 0y 3M United States Patent PORTABLE WASHING MACHINE Edwin F. Hay, Montgomery, Ala., assignor to Home Washer Corporation, Montgomery, Ala.

Application June 13, 1951, Serial No. 231,333

3 Claims. (Cl. 68-132) provide a portable washing machine including an oscillatable agitator and novel and improved means operatively connected to the agitator for oscillating the same in a liquid.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable washing machine includins a casing member adapted to be supported transversely of a tub, and an agitator connected to a power driven rock shaft by a universal joint to permit raising of the agitator toward the casing member, whereby the size of the machine may be reduced considerably during transporting or storing of the same.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a portable washing machine that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, references being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a tub and showing the present invention supported thereon in operative position;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 2-2 of Figure l, the machine being removed from the tub;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the partition member used in the present invention; and,

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the universal joint employed as a connection between the agitator and the rock shaft forming parts of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 1t? represents an elongated substantially Y-shaped casing member having a hinged closure or access door 12 at one end that is urged by a spring 14 to a closed position.

A pair of coaxial angle iron jaws 16 are secured to the bottom wall 18 of the casing member and on the limbs 20 of the casing member 10. Protective pads 22 are secured to the jaws 16 and will engage the upper and inner faces of one side wall S of a tub T. The elongated flange 24 of another jaw 26 extends transversely across the bottom wall 18 of the casing member if) at the end of the casing member remote from the jaws 16 and parallels the jaws 16. The flanges of the jaw 26 carry resilient protective pads 28 that will engage the upper and inner faces of the other longitudinal wall S1 of the tub.

Means is provided for slidably and adjustably securing the jaw 26 to the bottom wall 18. This means comprises a headed fastener 30 whose shank is threaded to the flange 24 and slidably received in a longitudinal slot 32 in the bottom wall 18. The head of the fastener is accessible through the opening provided, in the casing member 10 when the closure 12 is raised and tightened against the wall 18 to clamp the flange 24 against the undersurface of wall 18 and the member 26 adjusted toward or away from the jaws 16.

Hand grips 34 are suitably fixed to the upper wall of the casing member 10 and provide a means whereby the casing member may be conveniently carried and placed on or removed from a tub or the like.

A reenforcing strap 36 is fixed within and transversely of the casing member 19 intermediate the ends of the easing member and supports an upper bearing 38 that faces a lower bearing 40 mounted on the bottom wall 18. A vertical rock shaft 42 is rotatably supported in the bearings 38 and 46 and this shaft supports a rigid arm 44 that is located between the upper and lower walls of the casing member.

A gear and worm, not shown, are located in a housing 46 supported in the casing member 10 on wall 18 and the worm includes a shaft 48 that is operatively connected to the armature shaft 50 of an electrical motor 52 that is seated in a depression 54 in the bottom wall 18. A switch 56 on the upper wall of the casing member is connected to the electric cord of the motor.

A stub shaft 58 rises from the housing 46 and is fixed to the gear in housing 46 for rotation therewith. An arm 60 fixed to and projecting laterally from the shaft 58 is connected to the arm 44 by a link or pitman 62 so that as the shafts 3 and 50 rotate, the link 62 will impart oscillation to the shaft 42 and an agitator 64 secured thereto in a manner now to be described.

The agitator 64 includes a supporting shaft 65 to which radial blades 66 are secured. The adjacent ends of the shafts 42 and 65 are connected by a universal joint 68 that is covered by a rigid lock sleeve 70 slidably adjustable on the shaft 65. In this manner the sleeve 70 may be lowered relative to the joint 68 and the agitator 64 may be raised with one of its blades 66 entering a slot 72 in the wall 18, in order to permit carrying of the machine with the agitator raised to its dotted line position shown in Figure 3.

Means is provided for dividing the tub into two compartments with the agitator located in one of the compartments. This means comprises a pair of vertical Walls 74 and 76 whose lower edges and outer vertical edges are covered by resilient strips 78. The lower adjacent corners of the walls 74 and 76 are jointed by a pivot 80 and sealing strips 82 secured to one of the walls 74 or 76 overlap the other wall.

A handle 84 is pivoted for vertical swinging movement on Wall 74 and an intermediate portion of the handle 84 is pivoted to the offset end of a link 86 which in turn is pivoted to wall 76. As the handle 84 is lowered toward wall 76, the walls 74 and 76 will be urged apart to clampingly engage the walls S and S1 of the tub.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A portable washing machine comprising an elongated casing member adapted to extend transversely across a tub, means at the ends of the casing member for clampingly attaching the casing member to the side walls of a tub, an agitator depending from the casing member, a power driven shaft rotatably supported on said casing member and including a lower end extending below the casing member, a universal joint connecting the lower end of said shaft to said agitator and a rigid locking sleeve slidable on said shaft and over the joint to prevent relative movement between the shaft and the agitator.

2. A portable washing machine comprising an elongated casing member adapted to extend transversely across a tub, means at the ends of the casing member for clampingly attaching the casing member to the side walls of a tub, an agitator depending from the casing member, a power driven shaft rotatably supported on said casing member and including a lower end extending below the casing member, and a universal joint connecting the lower end of said shaft to said agitator, said casing member including a lower wall having a slot therein, said agitator including a plurality of blades, one of said blades adapted to enter said slot as the agitator is raised toward the lower wall about the universal joint.

3. A portable washing machine comprising an elongated casing member adapted to extend transversely across a tub, means at the ends of the casing member for clampingly attaching the casing member to the side walls of a tub, a power-driven shaft rotatably supported on said casing member and including a lower end extending below the casing member, an agitator, coupling means connecting said agitator to said lower end of said shaft permitting movement of said agitator from a position perpendicular to said casing to a position parallel to said casing, means for retaining said agitator perpendicularly to said casing, said coupling means comprising a universal joint connecting the lower end of said shaft to said agitator, said means for retaining said agitator perpendicular comprising a rigid sleeve slidable on said shaft to a position overlying said joint to prevent movement between said shaft and said agitator, and said agitator being provided with means for retaining said sleeve in overlying position with respect to said joint.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 968,413 Raymond Aug. 23, 1910 1,350,823 Maples Aug. 24, 1920 1,454,537 Chalfant May 8, 1923 1,758,335 Schlumpf May 13, 1930 2,057,292 Cooper Oct. 13, 1936 2,096,806 Hirstel Oct. 26, 1937 2,266,757 Holland Dec. 23, 1941 2,321,210 Jackson June 8, 1943 2,359,480 Jackson Oct. 3, 1944 2,373,961 Jackson Apr. 17, 1945 2,624,203 Hartmann Jan. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 627,061 Great Britain July 27, 1949 137,902 Australia July 10, 1950 

